Dieting and the DS

Nope, I didn't do well yesterday. I was fine until the evening when that certain restlessness/dissatisfaction hit me. And damn, there were ice cream bars in the refrigerator. Yes, ice cream bars. Well, they're gone now.

Today is a new day. But I do need to finish the food I have on hand. I don't have the money to throw away food. I have too many carbs in the house. When they're gone, they won't be replaced.

One thing about carbs, a little will make you crave more. And they are the foods that fill that restless, dissatisfied emotional void I mentioned earlier. Carbs are the Devil. White flour is just a lesser demon in comparison.

Anyhoo...I was looking over at Obesity Help, a site full of folks and info. The duodenal switch forum is positively positive on the DS. It is a wonderful surgery in comparison with the others, but there are drawbacks that it seems verboten to talk about much. Are the ones having trouble with weight loss afraid to speak up? I know I was, even at the decision stage in the beginning. It was an invaluable source of info, but I kept my questions to myself and just read the archives and lurked.

Whine about dieting and carb restriction on the open DS forums too much and you run the risk of serious flames. Where did these once morbidly obese women get their steely carb-resistant willpower?

Dieting seems to be the reality of more than a few DSers, especially us revisions. Sure, there are some who have lost the weight without a hitch. There are others who have serious nutritional problems and bathroom issues.

Is there a safe place where us DSers who will have to diet to lose all our weight can speak out and seek support?

Effin' dieting. I really like Kathleen on the lists and boards. Ever time I read her, she has something of substance to say.

I feel that an important part of this process is really swept under the rug, the part where we all say (or most anyway, some claim then NEVER overate and those hundred or more pounds just "appeared") that dieting doesn't work.

I hear ya. My theory is that we really fat folk are genetically skewed toward getting fat in the midst of plenty. Some people couldn't gain up to 300 pounds if they tried and tried hard. But we do eat and love doing it. It's not as if somebody else was stuffing our mouths.

I think there could be a lot more honesty that we are all somewhat food addicted. I don't think that is shameful, everyone has some addictive behavior or coping or control behavior, whatever term floats your boat, and for some it is food. I love food, I am a "foodie" in the best sense of the term, I am a good cook, a connoisseur of good eats and love the food channel.

I not a great cook or a foodie that much, but I sure love to eat. And I adore my potatoes. I compare quitting them is about the same as quitting cigarettes felt to me twenty-odd years ago. Quitting cigarettes was a hell of a lot easier than the whole effin' dieting thing. Potatoes are just one thing.

The part that we ignore in the forum is that bit where the DS magically changes us into people who can "control our carbs". Just when and how does that happen for most people? I have tried to discuss it but have gotten little interest.

Kathleen is braver than I am. I don't dare try to discuss it in front of DS strangers. I'm an inveterate cowardly lurker. But I'm really struggling over controlling the carbs, as much as I ever did? Where is my DS magic? Does it exist? Dear Lawd, I'll never buy ice cream bars again, no matter how much the kid begs.

If anybody wants to talk about the DS and dieting, I'm here. It's my turf and I'm brave here.